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Friday, November 22, 2013

By Violet James, MSM; Published by Maximum Potential, LLC; Date of Publication: 1-15-2013

INTRODUCTION

If you are
one of the millions of people who have accumulated hundreds or even thousands
of dollars of debt and want to successfully get control of your finances and live
debt-free, then this simple, step-by-step plan is for you.It is crucial to have a strategic plan with
set goals on how to get out of debt if you want to be victorious in living
debt-free. You are at a huge advantage because you now have all the tools you
need to change your situation with this proven, debt reduction strategy plan.
Those who have a plan and set goals have a significantly higher percentage rate
of accomplishing their desired goals.

Being in debt
and owing money is very stressful and feels like you are carrying around a
heavy burden.It can affect your
emotions, health and relationships in a negative way.Also, if you are living paycheck to paycheck
it can be very scary if you lose your job or something unexpected happens that
causes the income to stop coming in. You are at a huge disadvantage when you
owe money. You are at the mercy of the lender. A proverb states, “… the
borrower is a servant to the lender.” (Proverbs 22:7).It is important to make eliminating debt and
being debt-free a priority so you can experience true financial freedom.

In this book,
you will have a step-by-step debt reduction plan to follow.It is recommended that you take one step at a
time and do the assignment/action plan for that step before you move on. When
you have completed the steps and action plans, you will have control of your
spending, have created a budget and have the skills to master your money.

Let’s get
started to financial freedom!

About the Author:

Violet
James, MSM is an entrepreneur, marketing and business manager, award-winning
web designer, and artist. She has over 20 years of experience in business
consulting, marketing and management. For more information go to: www.NewSeasonPublishing.com

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

A new anthology encourages young readers to live for God.
Entitled Growing Faith: Stories with a
Message for Today’s Youth, the book is a unique collection of stories aimed
at readers nine and up.

Compiled and edited by Cheryl Rogers, publisher of New Christian Books Online Magazine, Growing Faith teaches the importance of
love and obedience, shows how to surrender your life to God, and shares what
it’s like to walk in the gifting and calling of the Holy Spirit.

“It is my hope and prayer that this collection will lead
many young people closer to God,” Rogers says.

Growing Faith,
now available as an ebook through Amazon, retails for $2.99.

Contributing to the collection are:

* Edith Edremoda,
author of Run with Me, a tale about a
young girl and boy that like to race home from school together – until he
learns he has a hole in his heart.

* David C. Russell, author of Good Days, Restful Nights, about a couple of middle schoolers who
learn shoplifting is a bad idea. This story features familiar characters from
his book Winds of Change, including
Seth Scott and Mr. and Mrs. Dudley.

* Kim Leatherman, author of Pizza and a Cross, the story of a young girl who feels unloved and
wanted – until she learns about Jesus.

The collection also contains three short stories by Rogers,
including Visit with God, the story
about a girl who visits father God in heaven during a dream; Zack and the Space Coast Caper, a book
about Zack and his friends from Rogers’ ebooks Lost in the Woods: A Bible Camp Mystery, Alone in the Woods: A Bible
Camp Mystery, and Where’s Zack? A
Reading Quest; and Holy Ghost Stories,
a tale featuring Barry from her ebook Just
Like Jonah Wail Tales and the parent/teacher guide Just Like Jonah Wail Tales Workbook.

New Christian Books
Online Magazine is a free online publication about the latest
kingdom-building books for readers of all ages.

Recently I
was on J.D. Holiday’s Blog Talk Radio Show, and I enjoyed it so much I asked her
if she would be willing to do a blog interview with me. I hope you enjoy this
interview with J.D. about Blog Talk Radio, and be sure to check out her children's books.

LORILYN: Why
did you start doing a reading show for children?

J.D.: A few years back when I had just started
hosting and running shows at Blog Talk Radio, I saw a movie with Jessica Tandy
which I think was called “The Story Lady.” The movie was about a woman who had
little to do and wanted to do something. She stumbles into recording reading to
children on her own cable access channel. I thought it was doable on Blog Talk
Radio with showing a few images from each story, but no one else thought it was
a good idea.
After a few years, I still felt it could be done and started “It's Story Time.”

LORILYN: What are the challenges to
doing the show and is it good exposure for authors?

J.D.: Some of the challenges are reading stories
myself on the show and running the switchboard at the same time. Another is
reading from a book or reading an e-book from the same monitor as the
switchboard is viewed on. I seem to lose my place in the story or script moving
back and forth between them.

For “It's Story Time,” I have the help of the wonderful author, Jan Britland,
who takes time from her own promotion to help out with reading for authors who
for one reason or another can’t come on and read their own stories. For “Halo
Kids Tales” I have not found a reader to help do the same for the show.

The last
challenge for me is getting authors to come on and read their books.
I have to go to Facebook, Goodreads and other sites and ask authors for the
most part. I feel this is a shame since my show has a good audience and is free
publicity for them. The shows are archived so not only can the audience come
back and listen to the stories but the author can post the show to their own
websites as a promotion.

LORILYN: Why do a faith-based reading
show for children?

J.D.: Three thoughts came to mind. One: That there
are faith-based stories for children to hear. Two: Having a strong faith in God, I felt this was
something I could do. Three: Based on my own belief that if people knew more
about others of different faiths people might get along better. Not that I was
going to bring about peace in any set groups, but I do know from my own life
that the more you know about something, the more you understand it. I hope to
have both Christian and Jewish stories on the show.

LORILYN: What are your own children's
books about?

J.D.: I have three children’s books out
right now. Two picture books: “Janoose
The Goose” and “The Spy Game,” and one chapter book for 6 to 8 year olds, “The
Great Snowball Escapade.”

All my stories are right out of my childhood. For instance, my first name is
Janice and “Janoose The Goose” was a nickname my dad called me affectionately
when I was very young. Once I was a teen he began calling me J.D.

As a kid, I loved sleigh riding. In the “Great Snowball Escapade,” that is the
favorite thing the young girl in the story enjoys. My brother, Ike, asked
me to take a puppy his dog, Sheba, had. My brother named him Sidney Reilly
after a spy series he and I watched together. At the time I had a dog and
didn’t think my older dog would be happy with a new addition. My brother felt
sure this dog was for me and he kept it with that in mind. When the puppy was
11 months old, my brother died of a heart attack and Sidney came to me. I was
wrong to think that my dog Snoopy and Sidney would not get along. They did in
their own way. Although this did not happen in real life, in “The Spy Game,” I
have my brother bring Sidney to my character’s house to live.

LORILYN: Thank
you for sharing with us today your shows on Blog Talk Radio and your books.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Her
vision seeped through the louvers on the utility room door. The images seemed
broken as in a jigsaw puzzle until she leaned forward and placed her forehead
against the wood. Her insides tightened. Everyone was shouting. She willed her
body to stop trembling but it seemed to have a will of its own. The gun that
the stranger held, just like on TV but different, was pointed at her father.
This was real. Daddy had hid her ... told
me to stay where I am until ... She couldn't remember.

Daddy’s
voice sounded like it did when he talked on the phone sometimes. “What do you
want with us? You have no business being here. We said no contact."

She
watched his face get redder than she'd ever seen it, even when he'd been out in
the sun too long. Mommy was shaking her fist. She never did that. The stranger smiled, totally silent. Not
intimidated, it seemed to the five year old. A shiver walked its way up her
spine. She’d seen guns like that in the cartoons she watched. This one was a
little longer though. Only business, the man said. What business, she wondered.

The man straightened his arm, the one
holding the gun. Her vision blurred for a second, horror filling the empty
spaces in her brain. The explosion echoed in the foyer. The bullet seemed to
travel in slow motion. Just like the
cartoons, she thought. Her daddy’s body slammed into the banister of the
staircase heading up to the bedroom area and the maid’s quarters. The railing
shook. Her father’s body flopped forward. His head smacked the floor. He lay
still then.

Blood covered the wall behind where
her father had stood. Her mother screamed and then was silent. Before her
father's body hit the tiled foyer, she watched the side of her mother’s head
explode. Specks of blood and other gooey stuff splattered all over the walls,
mixing with the blood from her father. Her stomach lurched. She wrapped a hand
tightly across her mouth. A silent scream rattled around in her head seeking an
escape. Get up, it said. Daddy. Mommy. Get up. Please. The scream
evaporated, as if it had never been. They weren’t moving. In the cartoons, they
always got back up. Why don’t they get
up?

Tears filled her eyes, blurring her
vision again. Daddy just lay there. Mommy lay beside him, covered in the blood
that flowed from her body. Her sightless eye stared toward the girl, hidden.
The girl felt as if she was going to throw up but she swallowed instead. She
swiped at the tears that silently trickled down her pudgy cheeks. Her mother
told her she had cute dimples, whatever that was. Her mother liked to touch her
cheeks. Now...

She watched as the man, the monster,
moved toward the entrance. Then he stopped. He looked up the stairs, then down
the hall. He looked toward her hiding place, his eyes cold, calculating,
wondering. Her stomach lurched, the fright almost real enough to touch. Could
he see her? Her daddy had told her to hide here. He knew they were in danger. Why? Who was this man? How did daddy know him? Maybe it was mommy
the man hated. Why? Footsteps interrupted her questions. The man was moving
down the hall straight toward her.

She crept backwards, crawling on all
fours as if she were a spider. Her gymnastics teacher had taught her that. I need to get out of here. He will kill me,
too. She remembered her discovery when she’d hidden in here last week. Her
cousins had come for a visit. They loved to play hide and seek in the large,
multistoried mansion that was her home. She'd found a door leading to the
garage where her daddy’s cars were kept under the chauffeur’s apartment. She’d
sneak out that way.

Several hanging tools brushed her
shoulders as she crept under them toward safety. They swung to and fro. It was
as if they whispered, “She’s in here.”
She twisted her head behind. She couldn't see through the slats in the door
anymore but the heavy tread of footsteps grew louder, closer. She reached the
hidden door. It creaked as she slipped through.

“Wait.” His voice echoed through the
tiny room, resonating off the walls of the small space, the sound carried over
the creak of the door as he pulled it open. The menace in his voice was gone,
replaced by enticement.

She scurried into the large garage.
Ignoring the man, she skirted the three cars stored there. Her heart pumped so
loudly in her ears, the sound blocked out the rustle of the man's clothes as he
squeezed through the same opening. She turned slightly and saw his shadow. Her
short legs pumped toward the door leading to the stone walled courtyard and the
gated entrance to the back yard. The wrought iron gate was open. Good.

Her feet flew over the paved driveway
toward the gate. She turned once to see if the chauffeur was nearby. Benson
played with her sometimes. He was nowhere to be seen. Then she remembered.
Benson had asked for the day off to take Maria, the maid, to the beach. There’s no one to help. She streaked
through the wrought iron gate.

The yard was tree filled, almost like
a park. She ran like the wind, as if the devil himself was after her. He is. She reached the second gate in
the high wrought iron fence that surrounded her parent's property. It was
slightly ajar. Her parent's always kept this one locked but now... She almost
forgot to breathe as she raced through it and into the street. The sidewalk led
to town. Her legs pounded the pavement hard. “Wait.” The shout came from behind
her. The man was following.

The sound of his footsteps bounced
off cement walls and rock enclosures, the attempt of homeowners to protect what
was theirs. Trees, thick for privacy, lined the street, hiding nearby houses
from view. Traffic was non-existent along this street at this time of day. She
ran. Her instincts told her that life, her life, depended on it. She rounded a
corner but then peeked back. He was still coming, walking briskly in her
direction. I need to hide.

She crawled under a nearby bush, its dense foliage the perfect cover, she
thought. The picture of her mother’s head scattering debris all over the walls
played like a ticker tape through her brain. Her stomach roiled again and she
gagged. Mommy. Daddy. Please help me.
Footsteps rounded the corner. The sound grew louder. He’ll find me. I have to leave.

She stood. He reached for her with
one hand while the other, the one that had held the gun, was in his pocket. She
ducked just out of his reach. She raced like the wind, staying off the sidewalk
this time. She flew through the trees as if someone carried her, her feet
barely touching the ground long enough to make an indent in the leaves. Her
body slammed into low branches that scratched and tore at her clothing. She was
shorter than the man so movement for her was easier here, she reasoned. The
heavier footsteps had slowed, proving her right. She heard a twig snap. He was
still coming. Maybe a policeman…

The girl ran. Her legs hurt. Muscles
contracted painfully. Trickles of blood from scratches marred her perfect skin,
skin that her mother would caress from time to time. Mommy. The thought hurt so much. Her daddy liked to swing her over
his head. She almost smiled at the thought but then tears flowed again when she
remembered. He’s back there. Lying on the
floor. Blood oozed from his forehead. He never got back up.

The race continued. She rounded
another corner. Her body slammed into legs encased in dark blue pants. Strong
hands steadied her but she wriggled to be free. She looked over her shoulder,
twisting this way and that. “Hey there. What’s the hurry?” The voice sounded
kind, different than the one she ran from. She looked up.

“Melissa?” The man’s smile turned
quickly to a frown, concern written all over his face. “What’s wrong?”

She pointed in the direction she’d
come from. Her breaths were mere gasps, words impossible. Tears fell
unhindered. She slipped behind the legs. Would
the man shoot this person too? She pointed again as the man rounded the
corner. She saw him stop before the policeman could look in the direction she
pointed. The man ducked his head as his foot stepped backward. She watched him,
silently and as quickly as he’d come, step behind the nearest tree, out of
sight. Her heart felt as if it would leap out of her chest. Then she was sick.
All over the shiny black shoes of the policeman she’d collided into.

“I don’t see what you’re trying to
tell me, Melissa. Calm down. Just take a deep breath.” He saw her looking at
the mess at his feet. “Don’t worry about that. I can clean them. But what’s got
you in such a tizzy?”

She swallowed. Tears streaked down
her cheeks as if they’d never stop. “He-he," She hiccoughed. She pointed
in the direction she'd come from. "He shot mommy and daddy.” She gasped
for another breath. Her finger shook as she continued to point toward the
corner where the monster had disappeared. “He shot them.”

About the Author:

Canadian born, and with 19 books to her credit, Barbara
Ann Derksen works hard to give her readers the ride of their life when they pick up one of her books. Her
favorite genre is murder mystery, but each book brings forth characters who
rely on God as they solve the puzzle in their life. She also writes devotionals
and children’s stories.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

From multi-million copy
best-selling novelist Jerry Jenkins comes a compelling international thriller that conveys you from
present-day Texas to a dank Roman dungeon in A.D. 67, then down the dusty
roads of ancient Israel, Asia, and back to Rome.

A young seminary professor, Augustine Knox, is
drawn into a deadly race to save priceless parchments from antiquities
thieves and discovers a two-thousand-year old connection with another
who faced death for the sake of the truth.I,
Saulconsists of two riveting adventures in one, transporting
you between the stories of Augustine Knox and Saul of Tarsus.

Filled with political intrigue, romance, and rich
historical detail,I, Saulis a thrilling tale of loyal friendships
tested by life-or-death quests, set two millennia apart, told by a
master storyteller.

Jerry Jenkins is a member of the John 3:16 Marketing Network, and some of our members asked him questions about his new novel and how he has balanced fame and writing with his faith and family. His answers are compelling and convicting. Enjoy these spiritual insights, and make sure you check out his new release, I, Saul on Amazon.

Author Laura Davis: What research was involved in writing I, Saul?

Jerry Jenkins: I have learned to write about only places I have been to, so I avoid
sending my characters the wrong way down one-way streets and committing other
gaffes that make readers question the efficacy of the rest of the fictional
construct. I want them to wholly buy into my make believe-world.

Author Laura Davis: Where did you go for it?

Jerry Jenkins: If the place is mentioned in the novel, I’ve been there,
including Paul’s dungeon. Admittedly, that location is traditional and no one
can prove it’s the very spot, but I had to duck to stand up in it, and there is
a hole in the ceiling, and the walls are as I described them, no windows,
below ground, etc.

Author Laura Davis: What sources did you use?

Jerry Jenkins: I did bolster my personal notes with info from internet sources
so I knew exact statistics, etc., but that was more for my own satisfaction than
for inclusion. I am a stickler for using research as seasoning, not as a main
course. Just as diners don’t want a spoonful of salt but rather a dash on their
breast of chicken, readers want a story with enough detail to ring with
authenticity, not to read like a textbook.

Author Lisa Lickel: What
was your motivation for writing this story?

Jerry Jenkins: On the broadest scale the theme is basic: if the chiefest of
sinners, a murderer of Christians, can be redeemed, no one is beyond God’s love
and forgiveness.

Author Emma Right: One question but a bit of preface:

I have always wanted to write biblically/historically-based
fantasy fiction but wondered how fictionalized I can make
things—after all, I will be dealing with real Bible characters and don't
want to end up with a story like Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, or like the Red
Tent, which I feel is even worse than the DV Code in terms of
misleading people. So when you wrote I Saul, how much license did you
give yourself to strike this balance between what is true and what can be
fictionalized?

Jerry Jenkins: I am neither theologian nor scholar, but I am unbending on the
authority of Scripture. I will not invent any scenario that would not align
with the biblical record. I have no problem fleshing out something suggested by
the biblical text. Paul himself writes that he was a Pharisee of the Pharisees,
studied under Gamaliel, and was a tentmaker. Thus to me it is fair game to
fictionalize his early years as growing up in a Jewish home, his father being a
tentmaker, his being a bright student of Scripture, the family investigating
rabbinical schools and settling on Gamaliel’s, etc. The astute reader
understands that these details are not in Scripture and, I believe, gives me
the latitude to speculate and say, in essence, “Bear with me, this is what that
could have looked like, based on what we do know.”

Author Alice Wisler: A lot of authors get a
little "filled with themselves" when they have successes. Having
had so much attention through the Left Behind series, I'd like
to ask how much your writing success has changed or affected your faith,
from when your first successful novel came out and then later, after some years
went by. What have you learned about human nature, yourself, the
Christian author, and fame?

Jerry Jenkins: That’s a fair question but probably better answered by people
who know me better than I know myself. My family, for instance. My real
friends. Naturally, I’d like to think I’m the same person. I will say that I’m
glad success came to me in my late forties and early fifties rather than in my
younger years, because I’d like to think I was more mature when it came. My
late father once said that a sudden influx of material wealth would not change
a person but would reveal that person for who he really was. In other words, a
generous person would be more generous. A selfish person would be more selfish,
etc.

I have to say that when the first three Left Behind titles
totaled a million unit sales and the publisher sent me those covers mounted in
a nice frame, I privately felt pretty good about myself. Soon thereafter the
fourth title became number one on Amazon before it was released and I found
myself strangely not so proud but humbled. It was as if I were being chastised.
I realized that it was folly to take any human credit for something that was
clearly a God thing, and when the series began to sell in the tens of millions,
I felt a burden of accountability and responsibility.

The highest compliment I was paid during the height of the
phenomenon was during an introduction to speak at a writers conference I had
spoken at many times over the years. The host said, “This week I have heard
many of you say, ‘I knew Jerry when…’ I’d just like to say that if you knew him
then, you know him now.” I still well up just thinking of that. Naturally,
anyone appreciates being known and complimented, but I want always to be fully
aware of who I am and who I’m not.

Author Lorilyn Roberts: Recently you tweeted, “Writing tip: The
author, like the hero, must grow from page 1 to 400. If it doesn’t happen to
the writer, it won’t happen to the reader.” How has writing
the Left Behind Series and I, Saul impacted you
spiritually?

Jerry Jenkins: In much the same way readers have been impacted. Writing fiction
based on prophecy made me more aware of and urgent about the imminent return of
Christ, and also of the infinite mercy of God. So we are to watch and wait—and
it could be today. But to God a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years
as a day, so If, in His economy of time, He waits just one more day, that could
be a thousand of our years.

Author Lorilyn Roberts:What do you long to hear Jesus say
after devoting your professional career to writing Christian books?

Jerry Jenkins: The writing has simply been a matter of obedience. What I’d really
like to hear is that I was a good husband and father.Author of more than 180 books with sales of more than 70 million copies, including the best-selling Left Behind series, Jerry B. Jenkins is former vice president for publishing and currently chairman of the board of trustees for the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago.

Friday, November 8, 2013

NOTE: For ease of reading, this Bible Study Workbook
sample chapter for Kindle has deleted the spaces where your answers would have been
written.

If you are using
this study with the novel Come to Me,
read the first two chapters.

If you grew up
in a Christian home, you probably said grace at your meals, attended church
every Sunday, and had regular prayer and Bible study times. If you were like
me, however, you only said grace when grandparents came to visit. Growing up,
prayer times consisted of “Now I lay me down to sleep...” We learned The Lord’s
Prayer in school. All of these things are good, but reciting prayers by rote
and getting perfect attendance in Sunday school does not a Christian make.
Faith in God and exercising that faith are essential to your Christian walk.
So, how do we learn faith? Is it acquired through osmosis just by being part of
a Christian family? Is it something that grows over time? How can we grow in
faith? More importantly, how do we instill our faith in God in our children and
other family members?

In the selected
chapters for today, we get a brief glimpse of what married life was like for
Mary. We consider her concerns as she thinks about her marriage to Joseph. We
see a willing worker and faithful servant of God.

It is eleven
years after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Come to Me opens with Mary lost in
thought as she waits for the apostle Luke to arrive. As you read these
chapters, remember Mary lived in a small community of about 400 people. She
probably knew everyone in her village. In fact, most extended families lived
close to one another. As she reflects on her life, keep this in mind.

Faith

Chit-Chat: When
you were growing up, who taught you about God? How important was God in your
family?

“4 Hear, O
Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).

This is called
the Shema. It is a term given to a set of daily prayers recited by members of
the Jewish faith. The Shema is recited twice a day, during morning and evening
prayers and is the last thing on the lips of the dying. It is considered a commandment,
or mitzvah, separate from the commandment simply to pray. Joseph had carved
this prayer into Mary’s bench. What do these verses mean to you?

Take a moment to
examine yourself. Do you remember what it felt like when you first fell in
love? I do. My relationship with my husband was a long distance one, and we ran
up some very expensive phone bills talking to each other every day. I couldn’t
stand being away from him. He was always on my mind. My heart soared when the
phone rang, and when I saw him in person, I was over the moon. I loved my
husband with all my heart, soul, and mind. My question to you is this: Do you
love God that way?

As the stepson
of a devout Jew, Jesus would have been under Joseph’s instruction and that of
the local leaders of his synagogue. The Shema would have been one of the first
prayers Joseph taught Jesus. As we read further in the verse, we can see why
Jesus knew the Scriptures so well. Moses had just given the Israelites the Ten
Commandments.

“4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord
is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be
upon your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit
at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get
up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9
Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (Deuteronomy
6:4-9).

In addition to
loving the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind, what does verse six
command?

What does verse
seven command parents to do?

Verse eight
commands, “Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.”
Today you will see Orthodox Jews doing just that. Some wear little boxes on
their heads called tefillin. They also wear leather straps on their arms in
obedience to this command, all to remind them to love the Lord and obey Him.
This is the background Jesus came from. His life was steeped in tradition and
the Torah (Old Testament). His parents, who were chosen by God, would have
taught him well.

Look at verse
seven again. How was Jesus’ life an example of the Shema?

Family

As Mary waited
for Luke, she recalled her conversation with her nephew John. You might be
surprised to discover that James and John, the “Sons of Thunder” as Jesus
called them, were actually His cousins. The next few scriptures will help you
discover this for yourself.

“21 Going on from there, he saw two other
brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with
their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and
immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him” (Matthew
4:21-22).

“These are the
names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his
brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John.” (Matthew 10:2).

What were the
names of Zebedee’s sons?

“55 Many women
were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to
care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James
and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons” (Matthew 27:55-56).

Who was present
at the cross?

“40 Some women were watching from a distance.
Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of
Joses, and Salome” (Mark 15:40).

Look at the
previous verse again and then read the one above. What was the name of
Zebedee’s wife?

Who were Jesus’
cousins?

As discussed
earlier, Nazareth was a very small village and extended family members tended
to live close to each other. While this wasn’t always the case – Mary’s cousin
Elizabeth lived more than 100 kilometers away from her – it was the norm.
Already we see the close family ties Jesus grew up with and how the strong ties
of faith in God kept them together.

“1 And God spoke
all these words: 2 ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out
of the land of slavery. 3 You shall have no other gods before me. 4 You shall
not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the
earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or
worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the
children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those
who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me
and keep my commandments’” (Exodus 20:1-6).

In the novel,
Luke is worried that his respect for Mary would turn into adoration or worship.
The early converts in Antioch, particularly the women, had this problem, as the
book suggests. But what does God say about idol worship?

What do we learn
about God from the verses above?

Put yourself in
Mary’s shoes. She is a servant of God and a Jewess, brought up to honour God
and place Him first. How do you think she would react to people worshipping
her?

Is the
veneration of Mary scriptural or in any way appropriate for Christians?

Tradition tells
us Mary was a young girl of no more than fourteen or fifteen. Some scholars
suggest she may have been as young as twelve. Her betrothal to Joseph was not
how we view engagements today. It was a binding contract. Most betrothals
lasted for a year or more. During this time, Mary was considered by all to be
Joseph’s wife, even though she still lived at home with her parents and they
had not yet consummated their marriage.

Mary is like any
young teenager thinking about her wedding day. Contrast this with the
promiscuous lifestyle of today’s teens. What is the missing element in teenage
lives today that has led to such immoral behaviour?

What or who are
the major influencers of this behaviour?

Having a better
idea now of how Jesus was raised, we know how important a role parents have in
instructing their children spiritually. Teaching them to believe in God and to
obey Him is one thing. Being an example of faith to them is another. What can
you do this week to show your children, family, or friends that you love the
Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind?

Prayer: Lord,
faith and family go hand in hand. Help us give you first place in our lives.
Help us be an example to our children and a witness to our neighbours as we
live out our faith. Keep us from putting anything else above you. May you find
us faithful when you come again. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

About the Author:

Laura J.
Davis is the author of the award-winning novel Come to Me. She is an avid
student of the bible. You can contact her at
www.laurajdavis.com

Take the monotony out of cooking and make homeschooling fun
with Food For Thought: Quick and Easy Recipes for Homeschooling Families.
“Homeschooling shouldn’t just include sitting around a table poring over books,”
says author Lorilyn Roberts, a homeschooling mom for fifteen years. “That’s
boring,” Mothers will find encouraging quotes from noteworthy individuals and
imaginative homeschooling ideas. “Perhaps the greatest gift we can give our
kids is to encourage creativity,” says Roberts. “We can use cooking not only to
make tasty meals but to engage our children in thoughtful discussions about
philosophy, history, sociology, reading, and the Bible.”

Each
chapter is preceded with a unique suggestion to enrich a child’s homeschooling academic
studies; i.e., how school-aged children can “buy” rice to feed the poor in
developing countries. One chapter is devoted to easy recipes for the young
cook. “Worms in Dirt and Crazy Cupcakes were among my kids’ favorites,” says
Roberts.Food for Thought: Quick and Easy Recipes for Homeschooling Families
presents an innovative way for families to cook, learn, and serve others both
at home and around the world.

Chapter Headings (72 recipes with photos):

·Quick and Easy Dinners

·Easy Meals for Young Cooks

·Cheap Eating – Tight Budgets

·Soups for the Soul

·Cool Salads for Hot Days

·Sweets for High Achievers

·Extras, Extras

Despite being a single mother, Roberts homeschooled both her daughters—the older
one through high school. She believes a free democracy resides in the
conservative values homeschooling families instill in their offspring—the
future leaders of tomorrow.

“If we fail to teach our children how to live out
their Christian faith practically, we will have lost an opportunity to impact
the world for good. It only takes one generation to forget the past. As JRR
Tolkien said, ‘There is some good in this world and it’s worth fighting for.’”

Lorilyn Roberts is a Christian eclectic writer
who enjoys writing in many different genres.

Lorilyn graduated Magna Cum Laude
from the University of Alabama in 1991. Her studies included spending two weeks
in Israel at the start of the Gulf War and touring England, Australia, New
Zealand, and several countries in Europe. She later attended the Institute of
Children’s Literature and earned her Master of Arts in Creative Writing from
Perelandra College.

When Lorilyn was in fifth grade, a
teacher accused her of plagiarism in front of her classmates. Little did Lorilyn
know the humiliation of that would later lead to a career in writing. When not
writing, Lorilyn is busy watching television providing closed captioning for
television.

Lorilyn says, “When I start to doubt
that anyone is reading my books, I remind myself of the millions of people who
have read my captions, even all of my mistakes. The best thing about creative
writing is you can make your words perfect. With captioning, it’s live and you
only get one chance to get it right.”

Lorilyn has two daughters whom she
adopted from Nepal and Vietnam as a single mother. She homeschooled both of
them, the older one through high school, and believes that the hope of the
United States may rest on the conservative values homeschooling families
instill in their offspring.

“If we fail to teach our children
how to live out their Christian faith practically, we will have lost an
opportunity to impact the world for good. It only takes one generation to
forget the past. Homeschooling families can restore those values before it is
too late. As JRR Tolkien said, ‘There is some good in this world and it’s worth
fighting for.’”

Fit for Faith is a unique workbook program. In addition to learning about
the three components of fitness – cardiovascular exercise, strength training
and stretching – your relationship with God will be strengthened through daily
prayer, Scripture reading and daily journal writing.

God created you as a whole person, therefore take care of your whole
self, not just the individual parts. A direct relationship exists between
physical, emotional and spiritual health. A healthy body gives you the energy
and enthusiasm to carry out the purposes that God has for your life. Practicing
healthy living glorifies God.

This workbook is an invitation for you to discover for yourself the joys
of treating your body with respect, learning to love yourself and connecting
with God on a deeper level. You are invited to take a fresh physical and
spiritual attitude on a daily basis.

You will learn that God truly cares. He is personal and He is intimate.
God does listen to your prayers and is there for you. When you rely on God
totally, for everything – including such things as losing a few pounds – He
will bless you. God loves you and He wants you to love yourself. He did not
create you to look at your body in disgust, but rather God saw all that He had
made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1:31)

Each day, follow the outline provided and start with a simple prayer.
Read the question in the reflection section and write your own response. At the
end of the day, answer the three questions about your activity and healthy
eating habits. Test your knowledge with the myth. Finally, close each day by
meditating on the scripture verse.

The Fit for Faith Review is a personal record of your week. It is a
self-evaluation tool that reflects your strengths and defines areas that need
improvement.

You need to be faithful about doing something each day in order to
realize the full potential of God’s plan for you. You are invited to develop
physical well-being and grow spiritually to deepen your relationship with God.
Prayer, Bible study and journal writing are to your spirit what exercise,
healthy eating and stretching are to your body.

Think of exercise as either cardiovascular activity or strength training.
Cardiovascular activity helps you to increase energy and keep moving. It is
good for your heart, lungs and circulatory system. Strength training (also
known as weightlifting) helps you keep your bones and muscles strong, reduces
bone loss and improves balance and posture.

Prayer helps you to enter into a spiritual communion with God.

What cardiovascular exercise and strength training do for building a
strong body, prayer does to build spiritual strength. Your body requires
exercise and food, and it needs these things regularly. You cannot just take
care of it at the beginning of the week and forget about it. Your spiritual
life is similar to your physical body in that way. You cannot pray just once
and have a healthy, growing spiritual life.

In strength training, you start by lifting small weights, and as you grow
stronger, you can lift heavier weights. It is the same with prayer. You start
by praying a short amount of time, and then as your desire grows you can spend
time in prayer every day.

To be physically and spiritually healthy requires discipline. You need to
practice both daily and use this strength or you will lose it.

The effects can be both immediate and/or long term. You may see the
results right away or the effects can be cumulative.

Both exercise and prayer improve balance in your life, improve your
quality of life and boost your mood.

With a pure motive, both delight God.

#

Exercise your body

What it is

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit
lives in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)

Exercise rejuvenates your body. Cardiovascular exercise equips you to
sustain an activity for a long period of time. It causes you to breathe more
deeply and work your heart harder. When you are strength training you use
resistance to strengthen your muscles.

What it’s not

Cardiovascular exercise is not only going to the gym and participating in
an aerobics class. It does not make any difference whether you go to a gym or
what equipment you use. Try to figure out where activity fits into your life.
Any physical activity is better than no exercise. You need to do only about 30
minutes of moderate exercise daily and that half-hour can accumulate in shorter
pieces.

Strength training is not only for men or for younger people. Women of any
age can also benefit, particularly those most likely to suffer from
osteoporosis.

Benefits of exercise

Elevates mood

Improves balance and mobility

Maintains a healthy weight

Increases energy level

Builds strength and tones muscles

A pure motive delights God

Discover the many benefits to exercise, including feelings of
accomplishment and well-being, increased energy, reduced stress and improved
sleep patterns.

Research indicates that activity reduces the risk of heart disease, falls
and injuries, obesity, high blood pressure, adult onset diabetes, osteoporosis,
stroke, depression, colon cancer and premature death. The U.S. Surgeon General
has determined that lack of physical activity is as detrimental to your health
as smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.

Regular cardiovascular exercise (aerobic exercise) helps you burn
calories faster, even when you are sitting still. It does this by raising your
metabolism (the rate you burn calories) up to 15 hours after exercising.

Strength training (weight lifting) helps you to better deal with everyday
tasks, improves posture, increases firmness of muscles, and helps prevent
osteoporosis. It also helps you build muscle so that even if you do not lose
pounds, you may lose inches.

You need to include both cardiovascular exercise as well as strength
training into your exercise program.

________________________

About Kimberley:Kimberley Payne is a
motivational speaker and author. Her writings relate raising a family, pursuing
a healthy lifestyle, and everyday experiences to building a relationship with
God. www.kimberleypayne.com